In one aspect, an article comprises a substrate that comprises a ceramic matrix composite; and a metal oxide layer disposed on the substrate; where the metal oxide layer has a marking etched into the metal oxide via laser ablation. The markings include alphabets, numbers, symbols, bar codes, matrix bar codes, quick response codes, or a combination thereof. Disclosed herein too is a method comprising disposing upon a ceramic matrix composite a metal oxide layer; and laser ablating the metal oxide layer to etch the metal oxide layer. The etchings produce markings that comprise alphabets, numbers, symbols, bar codes, matrix bar codes, quick response codes, or a combination thereof.

An aerospace mirror having a reaction bonded (RB) silicon carbide (SiC) mirror substrate, and a SiC cladding on the RB SiC mirror substrate forming an optical surface on a front side of the aerospace mirror. A method for manufacturing an aerospace mirror comprising obtaining a green mirror preform comprising porous carbon, silicon carbide (SiC), or both, the green mirror preform defining a front side of the aerospace mirror and a back side of the aerospace mirror opposite the front side; removing material from the green mirror preform to form support ribs on the back side; infiltrating the green mirror preform with silicon to create a reaction bonded (RB) SiC mirror substrate from the green mirror preform; forming a mounting interface surface on the back side of the aerospace mirror from the RB SiC mirror substrate, and forming a reflector surface of the RB SiC mirror substrate on the front side of the aerospace mirror. Additionally, the method can comprise cladding the reflector surface of the RB SiC mirror substrate with SiC to form an optical surface of the aerospace mirror.

A plurality of photocatalytic coated ceramic granules comprising base ceramic granules, each having an outer surface, and a photocatalytic coating disposed on the outer surface. The photocatalytic coating comprising an inorganic binder and a plurality of photocatalytic particles selected from TiO.sub.2, ZnO, Ti(OH).sub.4, doped derivatives thereof and combinations thereof. The photocatalytic particles have a surface area per weight of tire particles of no more than 30 square meters per gram (m.sup.2/g). The coated ceramic granules have a Total Solar Reflectance of at least 0.7.

A decorative article (100) having an observed colour effect that is changeable depending on observer (200) viewing angle, the article comprising: a decorative element (110) comprising a front side (114) facing a forward direction and a back side (112) opposite the front side facing a rearward direction, wherein the back side comprises a back surface (113) having a first region (122) and a second region (124) surrounding the first region; a first coating (132) arranged on the first region of the back surface, the first coating causing a first colour effect (102); and a second coating (134) arranged on the second region of the back surface, the second coating causing a second colour effect (104) that differs from the first colour effect.

The invention relates to a dental opaquer composition which can be used to increase the opacity of zirconium oxide ceramics. In addition, the invention relates to a process for producing a dental restoration, in which the opacity of the zirconium oxide ceramic is increased by using the opaquer composition.

The present invention refers to a manufacturing process of artificial pozzolan which has the final color gray. In order to perform the processes in the desired way, the kiln atmosphere shall contain low oxygen concentration and the presence of reducing agents. However the presence of carbon monoxide at the kiln outlet is not desirable, due to environmental impacts and the increase in specific heat consumption of the kiln. So the process described in this invention comprises the following steps: heating (1), which consists of heating the raw materials to a temperature between 100-350° C. until drying of the material to a moisture mass fraction of 0-5% (wet basis); mixing (2), which consists of mixing the dry raw materials from the heating process with the right proportion of fuel, in from 1% to 5% in mass fraction, according to the concentration of hematite present in the raw material; calcining (3), which consists of heating the fuel and raw materials blend to a temperature between 700-900° C., with oxygen concentration between 1-5% and, finally, cooling (4), which consists of an initial step of rapid decrease in pozzolan temperature until 600° C. and a final step of slow decrease in pozzolan temperature until 120° C.

A method for enhancing optical properties of sintered, zirconia ceramic bodies and zirconia ceramic dental restorations is provided. The porous or pre-sintered stage of a ceramic body is treated with an yttrium-containing composition and sintered, resulting in sintered ceramic bodies having enhanced optical properties. The enhanced optical properties may be substantially permanent, remaining for the useful life of the sintered ceramic body.

An apparatus for thermally treating mineral solids includes a preheater, a separating apparatus arranged at an outlet of an entrained flow reactor, and a thermal treatment zone at an outlet of a gas stream of the separating apparatus, with an outlet of the treatment zone being connected to an inlet of the preheater for the gas stream. A process may involve preheating a mineral material, thermally treating the mineral material in an entrained flow reactor in a reducing atmosphere for reducing coloring metal compounds, separating a solid/gas mixture from the entrained flow reactor in a separating apparatus, oxidizing reducing constituents of a gas from the separating apparatus in a thermal treatment zone between the separating apparatus and the preheater via supplied oxygen, and supplying gas emerging from the thermal treatment zone to the preheater and thereby utilizing thermal energy recovered in the thermal treatment zone by transfer to mineral material

An ultra-white granular silica-based filler comprises at least 99.5 wt. % silica, wherein the crystal structure of the silica is such that the silica-based filler comprises 40 to 80 wt. % cristobalite, 1 to 25 wt. % tridymite, 2-60 wt. % quartz and <5 wt. % amorphous silica, wherein the temperature of the ultra-white granular silica-based filler is no higher than 50° C. and further wherein the ultra-white granular silica-based filler exhibits an L* value in the CIELAB color space of 95-98. In addition, an ultra-white powder filler is obtained by milling, grinding or comminuting the ultra-white granular silica-based filler. The ultra-white powder filler exhibits an L* value in the CIELAB color space of 95-98.5.

To provide a liquid material which can only adjust transparency by applying on a part of a zirconia crown having high transparency, without coloring. The present disclosure provides an opaque imparting liquid used for a prosthesis device cut and machined from a dental zirconia for cutting and machining, comprising; (a) 10 to 39 wt. % of a water-soluble aluminum compound and/or a water-soluble lanthanum compound, (b) 60 to 89 wt. % of water, and (c) 1 to 20 wt. % of an organic solvent.